Psycholinguistics

Language Acquisition

Theories

Behaviorism

Imitation Reinforcement Analogy

Skinner

The Innateness Hypothesis

Universal GrammarGrammar Construction

Chomsky

Do Children Learn through Imitation?

Do Children Learn through Correction and Reinforcement?

Stages in Language Aquisition Pre-linguistic stage (birth to six months): The baby cries, coos,

laughs, and makes other sounds. Babbling (six to 12 months): The baby makes nonspecific sounds

from all human languages. One-word (holophrastic) stage (1 year): The child speaks single

words in isolation, in his or her first language. Two-word stage (24 months): The child forms two-word phrases or

strings that reflect the language being acquired. The vocabulary increases; the child begins to learn words at the rate of one word every two waking hours.

Telegraphic speech (30 months): Children begin to utter short phrases like telegraph messages, without formal grammatical structure.

Fluent speech (three years +): The child learns grammar and syntax (patterns of sentence formation) with surprising rapidity and accuracy; sentences increase in length and complexity.

Pre-linguistic Stage

Babbling Brrrr, brrrr, bbbb, dadada, lala…

Holophrastic or Word Stage

Up!

Down!

Cheerios!

Two Word Stage

Hi Mommy!

Bye bye boat

More wet

Telegraphic Stage

Cat stand up tableWhat that?Andrew want that.No sit there.Ride truckShow mommy that

Language ExplosionLook mommy,

how I climbI know what

to do

I like to play with something

else

The Acquisition of Pragmatics

Write aroundEach participant has one paper and pencilEach participant writes one sentence and

passes the paper to the right.Read the narrative on the paper you

received and write a sentence to go with that narrative.

Continue this process until the facilitator calls time.

Language Acquisition Write Around

The process of language acquisition is fast, but it is not instantaneous.

Bilingualism vs. Second Language Acquisition

Bilingualism SLA

Simultaneous acquisition of two languages

Acquisition of L1 Acquisition of L2

•Unitary system hypothesis•Separate systems hypothesis

Fundamental difference hypothesis

Same stages of LA as monolingual children

L2ers construct interlanguage grammars

Unconscious process Conscious process

Codeswitching L1 Interference

Theories of Language Acquisition

-Tabula rasa-Stimuli

-Conditioning- Reinforcement

-Innate predispositions-Systematic, rule governed

acquisition-Creative construction

-Constructivist-Social interaction

-Cognition and language-Functions of language

-Discourse

Behaviorist Nativist Functional

An Innatist Model: Krashen’s Input Hypothesis

1. Acquisition – Learning Hypothesis2. Monitor Hypothesis3. Natural Order Hypothesis4. Input Hypothesis5. Affective Filter Hypothesis

Numbered Heads Together

At your table, write one question about second language acquisition on an index card.

Hand in the cards. Number the groups.Listen to the question and discuss it at

your table finding consensus on one answer.

The number called will report the answer.